LEE Wallace admitted last night he is motivated by a fear of being remembered as a Rangers captain who failed to lead the Ibrox club to a single major honour – but insisted he can achieve his ambition in the coming season.
Wallace took over from Lee McCulloch as skipper in Govan two seasons ago, but since then the Ladbrokes Premiership trophy as well as the League Cup and Scottish Cup trophies have eluded his grasp.
Yet, the left back, who helped Pedro Caixinha’s team round off their pre-season programme with a morale-boosting 2-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough on Sunday, is confident his side can challenge strongly for silverware, including the league, in the coming months.
Read more: Aberdeen captain Graeme Shinnie shuns any comments from Rangers boss Pedro Caixinha
“I am still a young captain as I have only been two years in the role and I am at an enormously big club,” he said. “But I am driven on by the fact that I do not want to go down in history as a Rangers captain who does not win any major silverware.
“It is a unique situation for myself, but I recognise that challenge and I want to become a captain at Rangers who does lift silverware. I will keep working hard and learning in the role to make sure that is the case.”
Asked if he Rangers could challenge their city rivals Celtic, who won all three domestic trophies last season, in the coming months, Wallace said: “It has to be that way.
“That never changes. It has always been the mindset in the seven years that I have started a pre-season. We knew at the lesser levels that winning the league would be more achievable, but in the top flight that has to be the aim. It cannot be anything other than that.
“We understand the realism of the challenge, but we will not change or deviate from how we will approach every game. We want to win every game and every tournament that we enter.”
Read more: Aberdeen captain Graeme Shinnie shuns any comments from Rangers boss Pedro Caixinha
Rangers struggled on their return to the top flight last season and finished no fewer than 39 points behind eventual winners Celtic, who beat them in five of the six matches they played, as well as nine adrift of second-placed Aberdeen.
However, Wallace has been impressed by the quality of signing, including the vastly-experienced Portuguese internationalist Bruno Alves, his former Scotland team mate Graham Dorrans and ex-Aberdeen captain Ryan Jack, that Caixinha has made in the close season and is confident the title race will be far close this term.
“We absolutely have to feel that way,” he said. “There’s no point turning up at training every day if we don’t feel like that. We have to feel we can close the gap. That’s a big motivation for us this year. We need to close that gap.
“It’s about the players who have arrived from all different places settling quickly and adapting to the demands. We need to be competitive in every competition we play in. Slowly but surely, we are getting there. I feel the positivity.”
Wallace added: “We are all disappointed by last season and we are happy we have added the new players. It’s great to be working with them.
Read more: Aberdeen captain Graeme Shinnie shuns any comments from Rangers boss Pedro Caixinha
“Everyone knows Bruno. You don’t need me to tell you about his quality. We’ve got Graham Dorrans, who I’ve played with at Scotland level. I’ve watched his quality down south. He adds quality, so does Ryan Jack. I’m really enjoying working with all the new signings.”
Wallace confessed that he could easily have been stripped of the captaincy when Alves, the 93-times capped centre back, was signed, but is confident the 35-year-old will be one of several leaders Rangers have on the park this season.
“Bruno will join the group of captains we have already got,” he said. “
“We have five captains at the club. Myself, Kenny (Miller), Bruno, Nico (Kranjcar) and Graham are all captains
“They are the five that the manager recognised early on as being his captains on the park. I am delighted that can be the case and great for me that I can lean on any of these guys.
“I will still happily have the main responsibility and I will still be the one that has to face up to any disappointment or scrutiny.”
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